South Korea’s Acting President Han Duck-soo Impeached After Yoon Suk Yeol
Two weeks after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached, his successor, Acting President Han Duck-soo, has also been impeached by the parliament.
Han Duck-soo, who served as Prime Minister under Yoon Suk Yeol, assumed the role of Acting President as required by the constitution, which states that after a presidential impeachment, the president will relinquish their duties while awaiting the court’s verdict on the impeachment.
However, opposition lawmakers moved for Han Duck-soo’s impeachment, arguing that he failed to complete the impeachment process initiated against Yoon.
On Friday, December 27, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik announced the impeachment process, noting that only 151 votes were required to pass the impeachment bill. This is fewer than the 200 votes needed to impeach the President. Since the opposition block has a total of 192 lawmakers, impeaching the Acting President does not require any votes from the ruling People Power Party (PPP). By the end of the session, all 192 lawmakers in the opposition voted in favor of Han’s impeachment, surpassing the 151-vote threshold.
Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidency came under scrutiny after he declared martial law on December 3, citing threats from “North Korea’s communist forces” and “anti-state elements” within the country. The declaration backfired, with parliament voting to lift it within hours and beginning impeachment proceedings against him. Han Duck-soo’s impeachment is the latest development in the country’s political crisis.
Like Yoon, Han will now await the Constitutional Court’s verdict on the impeachment while suspending his duties as Acting President.
“I respect the decision of the National Assembly,” Han said on Friday, adding that he “will wait for the Constitutional Court’s decision.”
